Can iphones be hacked? Can icloud be hacked?

Can iphones be hacked? Can icloud be hacked? Many people rely on the historic difficulty of hackers to compromise the iphone and icloud operating systems. This makes these systems particularly immune to many current viruses and malware. While I am sure that given enough time, hackers may come up with a way to hack these systems, one this is for sure: Your individual smart phone can certainly be hacked if you do not take precautions to protect access to your device. If hackers gain access to your iphone itself, you can end up with hacked icloud pics, videos and all the other information you keep on your phone.

On Tuesday morning May 27, 2014, Apple and Mac users awoke to a “Find my iphone” message stating that the device had been hacked by Oleg Pliss and demanding a ransom to unlock the device. The initial reports came out of Australia, but the effects were reportedly felt in the United States, Canada and New Zealand as well. News quickly spread that Apple’s icloud had been hacked. Timing could not have been at a worse time for Apple who is about to launch a system to control household systems through their Apple devices. Critics are now questioning whether hackers could gain control of people’s homes and identities through this smart home system.

However, it turns out that icloud was not actually hacked and that the hacker had gained access to people’s iphones and macs by obtaining their access codes. So, what should you do if your iphone has been hacked by Oleg Bliss? Those users who set up a password before enabling the “Find my iphone” features can simply unlock their device and change their password. Users who are worried about a continued threat can either turn off this feature or can reset their passcode. For a more detailed explanation of what to do, please click HERE.

This incident demonstrates that hackers make sport of hacking supposedly un-hackable systems. The problem here appears to result from the common practice of people using the same password for several systems.

Here are some suggestions for all smart phone users. First, make sure all accesses on your smart phone are protected with a password. In doing so, make sure you use a password unique to this phone, that it is not easy to guess, that you do not tell anyone what it is, and that you update it routinely. Second, make sure you remove all sensitive information to a safe location like a jump drive soon after you receive it. You must stay alert to the possibility of having your private information stolen and be proactive in protecting your identity. Otherwise, you may find yourself going through the nightmare of trying to repair the damage that could possibly have been avoided with some diligence.

David is an attorney practicing law for 25 years. I concentrate mostly in business and bankruptcy law. However, this site is not related to my law practice and nothing on it should be construed as legal advice. The purpose of the site is to provide identity theft education to the public from my perspective of 25 years of witnessing various types of identity theft.